Nina Bocci

Post navigation

The wealthiest of the wealthy sent their kids to our boarding school, and Brooke Bennett had been at the top, though I never quite knew why. She was fun and outgoing, but she kept quiet about her family. The only things she showed me were photographs of her brothers.

I became fascinated with her second-oldest brother. Kai Bennett.He was the most of them all. Smoldering. Hypnotic. Alluring.Kai had eyes that pulled me in and a face that haunted my dreams.

Then I met him.

He came to our school with their father, and that’s when I learned what kind of family Brooke came from. They were mafia, and Brooke’s oldest brother was dead. Her father said accident, but Brooke said murder.

Three months later, her father died, and Kai became the head of the Bennett Family. Brooke left Hillcrest for good, and that was the last time I saw her.

Fourteen years later, I’m staring at her face on the television. Brooke is missing.

“You may hate me. You may loathe me.” His hand slid back from my neck and moved down agonizingly slowly, between my breasts to my stomach.

I gasped, and he slid his hand under my pajama shorts until they rested over my clit. I surged upward at his touch, my head falling back, everything in me starting to tremble.

One of his fingers dipped inside of me. “But you goddamn want me.” And with that, a second finger joined his first and he took hold of my tank, his mouth slamming down on mine.”

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Like this:

I have loved Channing Monroe all my life. In first grade, he asked for my Trapper Keeper. I hit him in the head with it. Third grade, we were best friends. We kissed in seventh grade. Eighth grade, he turned into a bad boy and the rest was a tumultuous storm. Growing up, the problem was never love for us. Bad times. Good times. There were times when I felt our love in every inch of my body, vibrating, making me feel like it could bring me back to life. The problem was us. The problem is that we’re from two different worlds now. Fallen Crest and its millionaires for me. Roussou and their criminals for him. I was thriving in mine and he was running his. But…But there were nights I felt we couldn’t be further apart than we were, and there were nights I felt we shared the same heartbeat. When was it time? When was it time to either sacrifice, make a change, or walk away from the boy I grew up with?

I have no experience with the Fallen Crest series – I know, shame on me, I plan on rectifying that oversight as soon as I can – but after reading Crew and seeing how much Heather and Channing loved each other I was ecstatic to get their story. I had no idea how long they’d been walking the precarious line between absolute commitment and devastation, after reading The Boy I Grew Up With and witnessing their story both in the present and through significant moments of their past I knew they had no choice in their fate. They were destined, their love preordained by something beyond their control.

I adored Heather, both in Crew and in The Boy I Grew Up With. There are few women who have the kind of innate strength she demonstrated in both books, and I didn’t even know a quarter of her story when I first fell in love with her. She fought for herself, even when the fighting she was doing was a little insane. She had the gumption to go toe-to-toe with one of the most respected and feared people in her town while retaining the sensitivity and empathy to recognize and care for the pain of the people in her life. Heather was extraordinary, and I was delighted to see her finally get the security and joy she so deserved in her life.

One of my favorite parts of The Boy I Grew Up With was the flashbacks to the beginnings of Heather and Channing’s relationship. Seeing those building blocks to the foundation of their relationship made me understand why they kept putting up with the pain they’d been through and were experiencing in the present. I loved how both Heather and Channing realized what they had together was meaningful and unique, and worth making sacrifices for. They both had to fight, forgive, and change their priorities to ensure their happiness, but the rewards the reaped from those changes were well worth all of it.

The Boy I Grew Up With is a standalone novel from Tijan. This book has ties to both the Fallen Crest series and her new Crew series, but none of those books need to be read to enjoy or understand this novel. The Boy I Grew Up With is written in dual first-person perspective, narrated by Heather and Channing.

I am still brokenhearted that I am so late to the Tijan game. I’ve read several of her books this year, and they are all fabulous. I love how seamlessly she seems to be able to move from an emotionally devastating book like Ryan’s Bed to books like Crew and The Boy I Grew Up With that are rife with intrigue and danger. She is well-versed in her craft, and her skill at bending the English language to her will is superb.

“What are you doing here?”

His arms tightened a little around me, and his hand rubbed over my leg. I was buck naked in his arms. I should’ve dressed, but I didn’t have the energy.

His breath felt good on my neck as he answered. “I was up with the guys. I missed you.”

Meaning: he’d either been fighting or drinking with the group of guys he considered more family than family.

I lifted one of his hands to inspect the knuckles, rubbing a thumb over them. “They don’t look bruised up.”

His body tensed, all six feet of pure muscle.

Channing had a face for the fashion runways, a body of tattoos that could appear in any magazine, and an attitude that made him a leader among the rowdiest and most criminally inclined. He was whip smart, ruthless, cunning, cocky, and had a charming side that had started some of our fights. He could be too charming at times, putting his name on a lot of girls’ to-do lists. It’d been a problem for us since we were kids, and though it’d gotten better over the last few years, I knew women came onto him regularly.

But being transparent here, that wasn’t the cause of our problems lately.

His voice was quiet. “I wasn’t fighting.”

I turned and tried to smell his breath. There was a slight trace of bourbon, but that might’ve been mine. “You don’t seem drunk either.”

He chuckled, his eyes studying every inch of my face. He did this when he was trying to figure out where I was going with my statements and if that’d take us into a fight. We acted like we were married and in our sixties by now.

His thumb went to my mouth and pressed there, softly. “I really was just hanging out with the guys. Cruz came over, said you closed for him. I gambled, thought maybe you’d be up—or not.” That dimple again. “I was hoping just to slide in next to you.”

I sighed, and his thumb caressed my cheek before his hand returned to my leg. I moved back, resting in his arms again.

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

For never was there a story of more woe than that of Holland Brooks and her Romeo…

For as long as I can remember, London Sinclair was the boy who was forbidden. It didn’t matter that he made my heart skip a beat. Our surnames fated us to be sworn enemies. But when the truth was finally revealed, my life changed forever.

Lies have shaped our past, leaving London and me to pick up the pieces. But through the chaos, one thing is certain—I love London, and he loves me, and we won’t allow anyone to tear us apart again.

However, life has a funny way of proving us wrong.

As we attempt to make amends for the past ten years, we soon discover that the ghosts of our past will do anything to drive us apart. We are once again surrounded by deceit and betrayal, testing us in ways we never imagined.

When I’m faced with a proposition to end this heartache once and for all, I blindly agree. That decision changes everything, and I soon learn that those who act in haste create their own destruction.

Does love really triumph all? Or will London and I succumb to what was always written in the stars?

After reading a few books that I just didn’t connect with I was afraid I was broken. In fact, I’d loved Absinthe of the Heart so much I was reluctant to start Defiance for fear that I would have a hard time getting into it, too. I should have known better, Defiance of the Heart was everything I hoped it would be and pulled me right out of the rut I’d dug myself into.

Defiance of the Heart was just as much of an emotional roller coaster as Absinthe was but in an entirely different way. The insanity of dealing with all the outside influences that had affected Holland and London’s relationship in the past and were still attempting to sabotage their love and happiness was more than any two people should have to overcome. I loved that, even when they were dealing with all the awful things being thrown at them, I never felt like their love faltered. It was bigger than anything that could be used against them, and it was beautiful to see.

The plot of Defiance of the Heart was absolutely compelling. I was so engrossed with London and Holland’s journey to normalcy and happiness I could barely put the book down to deal with real life. I was so enraptured with their fight against everyone who should have loved and supported them that I almost felt like I was right there in the trenches with them, choosing the love they’d denied for years over the pressures of their parent’s pasts.

I’ve read over a hundred books since I had read Absinthe of the Heart and was a little worried that I’d have time recalling all the intricacies of the story, but Ms. James did a fabulous job of subtly reminding me of all the important things I needed to remember. It was a lovely courtesy, and I doubt anyone who was reading the books back to back would even realize that little trail of breadcrumbs of the past was even included.

Defiance of the Heart is the second book in Monica James’ Sins of the Heart series. These books are not standalones but a duet chronicling one couple’s love story and the lengths they have to go to to find their happily ever after. Defiance of the Heart is written in first-person perspective, narrated by Holland.

Absinthe Of The Heart by Monica James is the first book in the Sins of the Heart series.

Two households, unlike in dignity, in the City of Angels is where we lay our scene…

London Sinclair was the boy my mother warned me about for as long as I can remember. His name alone has brought my family nothing but shame and suffering, so it’s no surprise we’ve been sworn enemies since the first moment we met.

With his bedroom eyes and cocky smile, he has all the girls under his spell. I have one more year of school left, and then I’m home free because I’m guarding a secret, one I’m ashamed to keep.

The boy who is completely off-limits is the one who drives me, Holland Brooks, wild. I want London, and I think…he wants me, too.

Some may compare it to a Shakespearian tragedy, as our surnames have fated our future, but when a single night changes my life forever, I can’t leave the City of Angels fast enough.

Ten years later, I have atoned for my sins and return to Los Angeles a changed woman. I’ve come home to get married. But the moment London walks back into my life, one thing is clear. Ten years can’t undo that night—that single, sinful night when I gave into temptation—because I want to do it again.

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.

When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

She is a bestselling author in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

I have loved Channing Monroe all my life. In first grade, he asked for my Trapper Keeper. I hit him in the head with it. Third grade, we were best friends. We kissed in seventh grade. Eighth grade, he turned into a bad boy and the rest was a tumultuous storm. Growing up, the problem was never love for us. Bad times. Good times. There were times when I felt our love in every inch of my body, vibrating, making me feel like it could bring me back to life. The problem was us. The problem is that we’re from two different worlds now. Fallen Crest and its millionaires for me. Roussou and their criminals for him. I was thriving in mine and he was running his. But…But there were nights I felt we couldn’t be further apart than we were, and there were nights I felt we shared the same heartbeat. When was it time? When was it time to either sacrifice, make a change, or walk away from the boy I grew up with?

** 103k standalone **

*** PREORDER NOW ***
NO Amazon preorder, THE BOY I GREW UP WITH will be a LIVE AMAZON RELEASE on Oct 29th

* About the two separate covers! *

This is not something I normally do! I don’t think I’ve ever done this before with having a different ebook cover than the paperback cover, but with Heather’s book, both images spoke to me. He was Channing and she was Heather. I felt both needed their moment because this book is truly from both of them.

His arms tightened a little around me, and his hand rubbed over my leg. I was buck naked in his arms. I should’ve dressed, but I didn’t have the energy.

His breath felt good on my neck as he answered. “I was up with the guys. I missed you.”

Meaning: he’d either been fighting or drinking with the group of guys he considered more family than family.

I lifted one of his hands to inspect the knuckles, rubbing a thumb over them. “They don’t look bruised up.”

His body tensed, all six feet of pure muscle.

Channing had a face for the fashion runways, a body of tattoos that could appear in any magazine, and an attitude that made him a leader among the rowdiest and most criminally inclined. He was whip smart, ruthless, cunning, cocky, and had a charming side that had started some of our fights. He could be too charming at times, putting his name on a lot of girls’ to-do lists. It’d been a problem for us since we were kids, and though it’d gotten better over the last few years, I knew women came onto him regularly.

But being transparent here, that wasn’t the cause of our problems lately.

His voice was quiet. “I wasn’t fighting.”

I turned and tried to smell his breath. There was a slight trace of bourbon, but that might’ve been mine. “You don’t seem drunk either.”

He chuckled, his eyes studying every inch of my face. He did this when he was trying to figure out where I was going with my statements and if that’d take us into a fight. We acted like we were married and in our sixties by now.

His thumb went to my mouth and pressed there, softly. “I really was just hanging out with the guys. Cruz came over, said you closed for him. I gambled, thought maybe you’d be up—or not.” That dimple again. “I was hoping just to slide in next to you.”

I sighed, and his thumb caressed my cheek before his hand returned to my leg. I moved back, resting in his arms again.

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Like this:

To survive where I live, you have two options.You can be a Normal—a cheerleader, jock, member of the debate team, or on the yearbook committee. You pretend everything is normal.

Or you can be crew. You insult us? We hurt you. You hurt us? We really hurt you. And if you f*ck with us, we will end you.

My name is Bren. I’m the only female in the Wolf Crew—the best, fiercest, and most dangerous crew there is—and we have a rule: There’s no falling in love.

Well… too late.

**Full-length novel. First book in a YA Series. This book is dark, violent, and not for the faint of heart.**This is 100% a new series from TIJAN. All new characters in the Tijanverse and is intended for mature audiences only.

It took me a minute to get into this book. Once I did, though, I consumed it voraciously. When I finally finished I was glad that the first part of the book took so long to take off; there was a lot of information to digest and if it had been glossed over at all the end of the book wouldn’t have reached the intense climax it did. Tijan did a fabulous job of constructing this new world and the premise of crews and Normals in Crew, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the series.

Crew is a VERY slow-burn romance, and for a little while, I wasn’t sure which direction Bren was going to head. There were two definite possibilities for her and I was on board with both of them. Tijan did a great job of constructing two compelling suitors in Cross and Race. As the story developed it was apparent Bren could only tear down her walls and be comfortable with one of those boys, and he was only able to be vulnerable with her, too. The book was never a love triangle but giving that little pull of the other man gave Crew an extra layer of interest.

The premise of Crew is completely new to me. Sure, I’ve read tons of gangs/motorcycle club/mafia/etc. books, but the crew and Normals idea was fascinating and original. I found myself engrossed in the system they set up and the way the crews interacted both with other crews and with Normals. I loved how loyal they were to one another and the dynamics within the group, especially that Bren – the only female in her crew – was viewed and treated as completely equal to her male counterparts. In truth, she may have been the most terrifying member of her group because of her affinity for violence.

Bren was a badass; there’s no other way to put it. She was independent, strong – mentally and physically, and fearless. Despite all that, there was still something profoundly broken about her, and when we found out about her past, it made her persona that much more impressive. Bren was intriguing and damaged, and I wanted nothing more, while I was reading than for her to find true love and happiness.

My only wish for this book would have been to get into Bren’s love interest’s head. He seemed just as compelling as Bren, and I would have loved to see what was going on in that beautiful head of his.

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

For never was there a story of more woe than that of Holland Brooks and her Romeo…

For as long as I can remember, London Sinclair was the boy who was forbidden. It didn’t matter that he made my heart skip a beat. Our surnames fated us to be sworn enemies. But when the truth was finally revealed, my life changed forever.

Lies have shaped our past, leaving London and me to pick up the pieces. But through the chaos, one thing is certain—I love London, and he loves me, and we won’t allow anyone to tear us apart again.

However, life has a funny way of proving us wrong.

As we attempt to make amends for the past ten years, we soon discover that the ghosts of our past will do anything to drive us apart. We are once again surrounded by deceit and betrayal, testing us in ways we never imagined.

When I’m faced with a proposition to end this heartache once and for all, I blindly agree. That decision changes everything, and I soon learn that those who act in haste create their own destruction.

Does love really triumph all? Or will London and I succumb to what was always written in the stars?

Absinthe Of The Heart by Monica James is the first book in the Sins of the Heart series.

Two households, unlike in dignity, in the City of Angels is where we lay our scene…

London Sinclair was the boy my mother warned me about for as long as I can remember. His name alone has brought my family nothing but shame and suffering, so it’s no surprise we’ve been sworn enemies since the first moment we met.

With his bedroom eyes and cocky smile, he has all the girls under his spell. I have one more year of school left, and then I’m home free because I’m guarding a secret, one I’m ashamed to keep.

The boy who is completely off-limits is the one who drives me, Holland Brooks, wild. I want London, and I think…he wants me, too.

Some may compare it to a Shakespearian tragedy, as our surnames have fated our future, but when a single night changes my life forever, I can’t leave the City of Angels fast enough.

Ten years later, I have atoned for my sins and return to Los Angeles a changed woman. I’ve come home to get married. But the moment London walks back into my life, one thing is clear. Ten years can’t undo that night—that single, sinful night when I gave into temptation—because I want to do it again.

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.

When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

She is a bestselling author in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

Like this:

To survive where I live, you have two options.You can be a Normal—a cheerleader, jock, member of the debate team, or on the yearbook committee. You pretend everything is normal.

Or you can be crew. You insult us? We hurt you. You hurt us? We really hurt you. And if you f*ck with us, we will end you.

My name is Bren. I’m the only female in the Wolf Crew—the best, fiercest, and most dangerous crew there is—and we have a rule: There’s no falling in love.

Well… too late.

**Full-length novel. First book in a YA Series. This book is dark, violent, and not for the faint of heart.**This is 100% a new series from TIJAN. All new characters in the Tijanverse and is intended for mature audiences only.

*** Available for a limited time across all platforms. Then, it will enter KINDLE UNLIMITED ***B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Like this:

Absinthe Of The Heart by Monica James is the first book in the Sins of the Heart series.

Two households, unlike in dignity, in the City of Angels is where we lay our scene…

London Sinclair was the boy my mother warned me about for as long as I can remember. His name alone has brought my family nothing but shame and suffering, so it’s no surprise we’ve been sworn enemies since the first moment we met.

With his bedroom eyes and cocky smile, he has all the girls under his spell. I have one more year of school left, and then I’m home free because I’m guarding a secret, one I’m ashamed to keep.

The boy who is completely off-limits is the one who drives me, Holland Brooks, wild. I want London, and I think…he wants me, too.

Some may compare it to a Shakespearian tragedy, as our surnames have fated our future, but when a single night changes my life forever, I can’t leave the City of Angels fast enough.

Ten years later, I have atoned for my sins and return to Los Angeles a changed woman. I’ve come home to get married. But the moment London walks back into my life, one thing is clear. Ten years can’t undo that night—that single, sinful night when I gave into temptation—because I want to do it again.

Absinthe of the Heart gutted me. I am completely blown away by how amazing this book was. I shouldn’t have expected any less after reading Monica James’ Memories from Yesterday series. The novel packed an emotional punch from the beginning and just kept pummeling my heart for the entirety of the story. I’m not sure how I’m going to survive until the next book is released because I NEED more of Holland and London.

You kind of get a twofer with this story. I loved getting that little glimpse into the beginning of Holland and London’s parents’ stories. It did such a fantastic job of setting up the emotional rollercoaster we were sent on through the rest of the book. And a rollercoaster it was; the highs were euphoric and the lows devastating. It didn’t matter how much I expected that next freefall, it always knocked the wind out of me and left me reeling.

London and Holland and Lincoln and Belle were so intertwined, from the very start, it was hard to see clearly exactly what their dynamics were going to be and how it was all going to unravel. I loved the Romeo and Juliet theme, and this twist on it was splendid. From the way they became star-crossed lovers to the miscommunication that drove them apart to the interesting circumstances that brought them back together, Monica James delivered on the ages-old theme of sworn enemies being fated to fall in love.

The chemistry between London and Holland – especially when they were still sure they hated one another – was explosive. Their interactions were fiery and impassioned. When they finally gave into the pull they felt and allowed themselves to admit there was more between them than unadulterated hatred it was visceral. I could feel each touch, each breath as readily as I could feel my own pulse. I found myself breathless with my heart pounding time and again while reading this novel, and if that isn’t the sign of sublime storytelling, I don’t know what is.

Absinthe of the Heart is the first book in Monica James’ Sins of Yesterday series. From everything I can tell these books are not going to be standalones and must be read in order. Absinthe of the Heart is written in first person perspective, narrated by Holland.

Monica James is quickly solidifying her place on my list of must-read authors. Her work is intense, emotional, and highly addictive. Her prose is beautiful and compelling. Beyond all that she creates wonderfully flawed, sympathetic characters, whom you have no option but to love and root for.

Before I get a chance to scold him, he presses his chest to mine and slowly reaches behind me. We’re caught in a deadlock. I’m barely breathing while he licks his bowed upper lip, unaffected. I shuffle backward, uncaring that I’ll probably fall off the edge because that alternative is far better than burying my nose into the length of his neck. He smells so good. I just want to take a bite.

But up goes my guard as I refuse to succumb to this insanity a second longer. “This is a new low, even for you. Manhandling a defenseless, injured woman.”

He has the gall to laugh. “You? Defenseless? That is one word I would never associate with you, Princess.” When that momentous nickname slips past his lips, we both freeze, him gingerly meeting my eyes.

A thousand emotions are reflected deep within those shadowy depths, transporting us both back to being seventeen. And just like that, my walls crumble. He clears his throat while I avert my eyes, focusing on a lone beer bottle cap on the floor.

There are bottles clinking and some sort of rustling happening behind me, but I don’t dare turn around to see what the commotion is. When he finally pulls away, I take a breath, but it’s in vain because he drops to his knees before me.

I have no idea what he’s doing until he lifts my injured ankle and presses a dishcloth filled with ice to the swollen flesh. The relief is instant, so I don’t fight it. I watch as he tends to me, on his knees, as it’s a sight I never thought I’d see. I envisioned London on his knees, begging for forgiveness more times than I care to admit, but this is different.

Something is selfless, almost repentant about his actions, and I can’t take pleasure in seeing him this way.

“Here.” He breaks the silence when he offers me his cell from his back pocket. My brain short-circuits. Not only is he tending to my wounds, but he’s now giving me a lifeline to get the hell out of here. But now that it’s within reach, I don’t want it as desperately as I thought I did.

Regardless, I accept the offering. The screen lights up with a picture of an adorable black Labrador. I don’t know why, but it throws me.

This is a part of London’s life, and I begin to wonder what else he holds close to his heart.

Over the past ten years, I exorcised London from every crevice of my mind and body, never allowing myself to slip back into the past. But being here now, I can’t help but be curious, especially because he looks different…he looks happy.

Absinthe of The Heart by Monica James will be released on May 14!

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

She is a bestselling author in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

At first blush, I loved Bad Boy Brody. This book was a joy to read, and I was utterly engrossed with Morgan and Brody’s story while I was in their world. I wish the book had a cover that fit the story better, even after reading the cover copy, I was sure the story was going to be completely different than what it was. The title, too, didn’t seem to fit the tone of the story well. Bad Boy Brody was far better, far more emotional than either the cover or the title indicated.

I adored the setting of this book and how much Morgan’s land and the mustang herd that ran on it were a major player in moving the book forward. These elements were so vital to Morgan, so crucial to the very core of the story; it was hard not to want to crawl onto that piece of land and watch the mustangs stampede across it. It felt so real; I could almost taste the fresh, crisp mountain air.

I’m on an insta-love kick right now, and this book definitely fits that bill. Their intense connection started before they even spoke to one another and that crazy bond continued to deepen with each interaction they had. As a person who has felt that kind of pull toward another, I understood how they felt. How they knew what was happening between them was bigger than they were, and it would be life-changing. I found the way Tijan explored their attachment to one another fascinating, especially while we were also dealing with Morgan’s ties to her ‘sister’ mare and the herd.

Morgan was a captivating character. From her tragic childhood to her acceptance and integration into the wild mustang herd, she was one of the most unique people I’ve ever read about. There were parts of her character that were a little beyond belief, but for the most part, I could identify with her compulsion to seclude herself away from the human world and exist in a world where little beyond survival is important. Her growth arc was compelling, too. Watching her transform from the ghost she was in the initial chapters to the girl who was ready to take on the world for the people she loved, in the end, was cathartic.

I had a little harder time connecting with Brody. I didn’t understand his motivations to stay in the world he was in, as it felt like he hated every minute of his work. He only seemed truly happy when he was with Morgan, his nieces, or when he was free from all the social conventions he’d been trapped by. I would have loved to have seen more growth from his character, but I was happy to see him begin to deal with the issues plaguing him.

My one wish for this book was tiny and, while important, almost felt like a throw-away line and that was Morgan mentioning a barn party. It seemed so incongruous to her character that she not only would have gone to such a party but that she would have done what she said she’d done at it, that I had a hard time reconciling it. I just wish that single line had been swapped out for something more in keeping with who Morgan was as a character.

I’m relatively new to Tijan’s writing, this is only my second book by her, but I love how diverse her writing is. Ryan’s Bed will probably always hold my top spot for her books, but Bad Boy Brody was also a fantastically compelling story and held me captive from the first page to the last. She’s excellent at building consuming worlds and real, flawed, sympathetic characters. I find myself falling in love with her storytelling and know I’ll be a long-time reader of her work.

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Absinthe Of The Heart by Monica James is the first book in the Sins of the Heart series.

Two households, unlike in dignity, in the City of Angels is where we lay our scene…

London Sinclair was the boy my mother warned me about for as long as I can remember. His name alone has brought my family nothing but shame and suffering, so it’s no surprise we’ve been sworn enemies since the first moment we met.

With his bedroom eyes and cocky smile, he has all the girls under his spell. I have one more year of school left, and then I’m home free because I’m guarding a secret, one I’m ashamed to keep.

The boy who is completely off-limits is the one who drives me, Holland Brooks, wild. I want London, and I think…he wants me, too.

Some may compare it to a Shakespearian tragedy, as our surnames have fated our future, but when a single night changes my life forever, I can’t leave the City of Angels fast enough.

Ten years later, I have atoned for my sins and return to Los Angeles a changed woman. I’ve come home to get married. But the moment London walks back into my life, one thing is clear. Ten years can’t undo that night—that single, sinful night when I gave into temptation—because I want to do it again.

Before I get a chance to scold him, he presses his chest to mine and slowly reaches behind me. We’re caught in a deadlock. I’m barely breathing while he licks his bowed upper lip, unaffected. I shuffle backward, uncaring that I’ll probably fall off the edge because that alternative is far better than burying my nose into the length of his neck. He smells so good. I just want to take a bite.

But up goes my guard as I refuse to succumb to this insanity a second longer. “This is a new low, even for you. Manhandling a defenseless, injured woman.”

He has the gall to laugh. “You? Defenseless? That is one word I would never associate with you, Princess.” When that momentous nickname slips past his lips, we both freeze, him gingerly meeting my eyes.

A thousand emotions are reflected deep within those shadowy depths, transporting us both back to being seventeen. And just like that, my walls crumble. He clears his throat while I avert my eyes, focusing on a lone beer bottle cap on the floor.

There are bottles clinking and some sort of rustling happening behind me, but I don’t dare turn around to see what the commotion is. When he finally pulls away, I take a breath, but it’s in vain because he drops to his knees before me.

I have no idea what he’s doing until he lifts my injured ankle and presses a dishcloth filled with ice to the swollen flesh. The relief is instant, so I don’t fight it. I watch as he tends to me, on his knees, as it’s a sight I never thought I’d see. I envisioned London on his knees, begging for forgiveness more times than I care to admit, but this is different.

Something is selfless, almost repentant about his actions, and I can’t take pleasure in seeing him this way.

“Here.” He breaks the silence when he offers me his cell from his back pocket. My brain short-circuits. Not only is he tending to my wounds, but he’s now giving me a lifeline to get the hell out of here. But now that it’s within reach, I don’t want it as desperately as I thought I did.

Regardless, I accept the offering. The screen lights up with a picture of an adorable black Labrador. I don’t know why, but it throws me.

This is a part of London’s life, and I begin to wonder what else he holds close to his heart.

Over the past ten years, I exorcised London from every crevice of my mind and body, never allowing myself to slip back into the past. But being here now, I can’t help but be curious, especially because he looks different…he looks happy.

Absinthe of The Heart by Monica James will be released on May 14!

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

She is a bestselling author in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

Blog Stats

Administrator Login

Blog Archives

Blog Archives

Categories

Categories

Disclaimer

A Literary Perusal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.